Lasting Impressions

Marc Goddard is running for the House District 4 seat in Denver, Colorado. I didn’t really like his current logo running around the web, so I took it upon myself to make him a new campaign logo, which can be scaled to anything from bumper stickers to banners.

[Click image to enlarge]

Why do I think my logo is superior? Well, it addresses three problems that I identify with his current logo.

The first is organization. His current logo’s focal point puts no emphasis on Marc’s name, itself. The font doesn’t convey confidence, and is overpowered by the eagle, which is very commanding. If Marc’s name was placed differently, people would associate his name more naturally with the powerful eagle — but this logo is just kind of a jumble of words.

Too much cross-marketing. Libertarianism appeals to a certain type of person, and the group is currently small enough that everyone who is planning on voting libertarian probably already knows who Marc is. Others are not persuaded by the “Libertarian” title…some may even be dissuaded. It is much better to focus on Marc first, generate interest, and then let his platform speak — at the very least it doesn’t turn people off looking at a sticker.

The color scheme. This is just a personal preference, but I don’t like the color scheme. Specifically, the blue looks cheap, and the gold insincere. Sorry.

My logo addresses these problems by typing Marc’s name in a much more powerful font, with a distinct emphasis on the man, and the date. This text is laid over a simple background which intimates the stripes of the American flag, while also simulating the silhouette of a mountain range (Colorado, get it? =]). The sun rising over the mountain range (which doesn’t really happen from the perspective of Denver), of course, intimates hope and “a new day”, powerful imagery for our times…and central feature of Obama’s expertly designed campaign logo. Every color of the Colorado flag is richly represented, and the design is simple enough to be cheap to reproduce.

What do you think?

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Update: Just to give an example of how to create better word-association with the eagle, I made another quick logo featuring Marc’s name. Notice that his name is in the same, strong font, and the logo simply features his name and the date. All of the Colorado flag colors are present, as is the mountain range/flag image from the previous logo. The placement of Marc’s name slightly superimposed over the image of the eagle forces your mind to associate the name with the powerful image. No longer can you simply stare at the eagle and dismiss the rest of the image.